Need Lighting Help

I am a newbie! I don't know much at all about saltwater keeping, I'm in the process of starting my first tank, a 27 gallon Marineland cube (20" wide) that is currently housing African Cichlids in my son's nursery. I really want to turn it into a reef tank for him, but I'm really lost. I went to our local (well it's an hour away and the closest one) fish supply (saltwater exclusive) they were really busy, and it was close to closing time, and I didn't get a chance to ask a lot of questions. I think they mostly deal with custom acrylic stuff too, like large scale. Anyway, Is a protein skimmer hanging off the back sufficient for this tank? I don't want to do the sump thing under the tank. Also, the big question is the lighting. The tank came with LED lighting (looks cool, but I don't think it's proper for corals). Where in the world would I even begin looking for the proper light for this tank? One that fits on the tank, and does the job (I'm not opposed to the hanging type ones, though I do prefer one that sits on the tank). How do I know how much wattage I need? I don't know anything about this topic, I had to ask my husband what a ballast was. :-( PLEASE help!!

 

A hang on the back (HOB) skimmer will be fine, some like a Red Sea Prizm or Bak-Pak. Stay away from the Sea Clone. I am sure there are better ones out there. Keep the bio-load within reason.

A T5 fixture would work for a reef and not be too costly.

What you need to do if figure out is what you want to spend on lighting and what you want to keep corals wise, soft corals, sps....

Check out sites like

Aquarium Pet Fish Supplies, Tank Accessories, Products & Equipment

Fish Supplies: Fish Tank & Fish Care | FosterAndSmithAquatics.com

Look around and get a feel for the equipment and prices.

The best advice I can give you is to do the research here and ask questions before going to the local fish store, you will save money and be more prepared to purchase and care for the right live stock for your system.

This is a good link to assist you in the terminology.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/common-acronyms-abbreviations-54351.html

BTW the tank looks quite nice already as a fresh water tank.

 

Thank you SO much! I checked out F&S and they have a lot of stuff! OK, I found this...

Reef Aquarium Lighting & LED Lights: Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System

Is it too good to be true? Can LED lights be good for corals? What kind of corals? Does it matter? This would be ideal because it is exactly like the fixture that is already there, and the price is good for me. Thoughts?

I do like the way the tank looks now. Unfortunately, due to the aggressive nature of these dang Cichlids, I cannot put anything else in there with them, except other Cichlids. And I want my child to be able to look in his tank and maybe find something new every time he looks. I'm very interested in keeping shrimp, and starfish, and little hermit crabs, and a clown fish or 2. I really do hope this light fixture will work for me. I so appreciate your help!

 

Yes, LEDs can work quite well for corals, but not all LEDs are made equally. Sorry to say, but that fixture isn't the best, and won't work for most corals.

 

Yes, I've learned that after doing a search on this forum. :-( Do you have any advice on what would be good? I need it to fit a 20" wide tank. This is all so confusing. There are so many lights out there, it's overwhelming because I'm sure some are junk and I want to make sure I get the right one.

 

Id check out the Kessil LED pendants i love mine, and they arent all that expensive one would work just fine for you set-up and will give you a very nice shimmering effect on the tank!!

 

Thanks so much... I've decided to scrap the reef idea and just work on a FOWLR tank. This is causing me so much headache. LOL

 

Ah reefing is'nt all that hard, just put a few soft corals in there to give it movement and you'll fall in love.. promise ;D the Kessil lights are a really good bang for your buck as far as LED lighting goes!

 

OK, I did some reading on the Kessil pendant and, well... Me likey!!! The only one I could find though, is the 32w, would this be too much for my little 27 gallon cube?

 

So far, the soft corals I have under this light are growing just fine, I have not tried any SPS or LPS corals, only Zoo's, Mushrooms, Xenia's, Leather's and tree corals. The light itself is cool, gives a really nice shimmer to the tank and it looks good. The growth is nothing like the metal halide's but I have 0 heat issues and don't have to replace the bulbs every 6-9 months either. Here are a few pics, see for yourself!